Digger



P. M. PADGETTE.

DIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1919.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

I awn/tow Philip M. Pa d lqafie UNITED STATES V PHILIP MARCUS IPADGETTE, OF NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.

BIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

Application filed June 11, 1919. Serial No. 303,524.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PHILIP M. PADGETTE, a citizen of the United States, residingv at Newport News, in the county of Warwick and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Diggers, of which the following is a specifica tion.

My present invention relates to diggers, and more particularly to a hand tool of that character by which the earth may be lifted in a vertical direction in contradistinction to a diagonal direction as when a spade or shovel is used.

It is old in the art to provide diggers of this character embodying broadly a cylindrical shell split longitudinally and a handle and connection between the handle and one end portion of the shell, so that by per mitting the digger to drop or forcing it into the earth with the free circumferential edge of the shell lowermost, it will slice off,

so to speak, aquantity of earth, and by drawing upwardly on the device, and by grasping the handle, the earth will be held in the shell due to its adhesive nature, or friction and slight contraction of the shell. The earth is then ejected from the shell in any suitable manner, such as by striking the shell laterally as on the' ground or a piece of wood, which first slightly contracts or distorts the shell and then expands the same, due to the shock, permitting the earth to be forced or slide from the shell.

The couplings between the handles and shell are therefore subjected to stresses which tend to distortthem in certain directions when the shell is being forced into the earth, and in certain other directions when the tools are being manipulated to eject the earth, and this tends to set up molecular changes which very often result in rupturing of the metal coupling after the tool has been used for a short time.

One of the principal objects of my invention is therefore to provide in a tool of the character described, a coupling between the handle and shell, so formed and shaped as to more readily withstand the stresses inc-ident to use, and remain in good repair for a considerable length of time.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, formlng a part of this specification, and in which drawing:

. shown.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a digger constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. is an enlarged View in elevation of a coupling constructed according to my invention.

Fig. f is a cross-sectional view on the line ca of one of the arms of the coupling.

Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

In the drawing, where similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the views, A designates a handle preferably of solid iron, to add weight to the tool; 13 a cylindrical metallic shell or earth engaging element; C, a coupling between handle A and shell 13; and D, means for securing the coupling C to the shell.

The shell B is split longitudinally as indicated at 6. so as to permit it to contract and expand slightly, when in use, and it is preferred to provide the lower circumferential edge of the shell with a flare 7 extending outwardly, so as to aid in the expansion of the shell as it is dropped or forced into the earth, and to provide a clearance at the hole thus formed, so that the shell may be readily withdrawn from the hole without causing the wall of the hole formed to tumble, since it is desirable where the tool is used for dig ing post holes or holes of small diameter that the walls of same remain unbroken.

The coupling C is preferably formed of a continuous piece of band metal to provide two arms 8 as by bending the metal intermediate its ends, the metal being doubled upon itself for a short distance, as at 9, and dii-erging therefrom into the arms 8 which are at an acute angle one with another, providing a substantially Y-shaped coupling. The free end portions of the coupling may be bent as at 10 to lie in substantially parallel relation and may be shaped as at 11 to conform to the interior surface of the shell B, being secured thereto as by means D, consisting of rivets 12 in the example The coupling C may be scarf welded to the handle A, as indicated by line 13 in Fig. 3, which may be accomplished by turning down one end portion of the handle A and also the portion 9 of the coupling scarfed, and first upsetting the scarfed faces at the point where the weld is to be made, after which both faces are brought to a welding heat and hammered in the usual then expand the shell, each rupturing and which Vtudinally,

tion throughout the manner, it being preferred to hammer this to a polygonal cross section, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing.

In order that the coupling may resist compressive stress, as when the tool is being dropped or forced into the earth in a vertical direction, the coupling is so shaped that the distance between the diverging arms 8 at their juncture with the shell B is relatively less than the length of either arm between its juncture with the handle and the shell. i

In order to permit the coupling to yield when it is desired to eject the earth from the shell B as by striking it laterally on the groundor some other abutment and having the tendency to first slightly contract and arm 8 is of uniform cross-section throughout the greater portion of its length as indicated at 14, be tween its j unctures with the handle and shell, and of greater cross-section throughout the remainder of its length. For instance, in the example shown the band metal is reduced in width throughout the greater portion of the length of the arms 8 as shown by a comparison of the cross sectional views, Figs. 4 and 5, which are sectional views on the lines 4-4 and 55 of Fig. 3, respectively. In practice, therefore, when the tool is swung, so as to eject the earth, the coupling permits distortion of the shell, the coupling yielding at the portions of the reduced cross sections, without bringing about molecular changes at the juncture with handle A or shellB, such as would result in takes place in connection with diggers as now in common use.

' I claim:

1. In a digger, the 'combinationwith a handle, and a cylindrical shell split longi of a coupling connecting said handle and shell, comprising two arms diverging from said handle at an acute angle one: with the other and 'fconnected to said shell at diametrically opposite points,'each of said arms of reduced uniform cross secgreater portion of its length, ,between its junctures with said handle and shelland of greater cross-section throughout the remainder of its length, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

handle, and a cylindrical shell split longitudinally, of a coupling connecting said handle and shell comprising'two arms diverging from said handle at an acute angle one with the other and connectedto said shell at diametrically opposite points, each of said arms of reduced uniform cross section throughout the greater portion or" its length between its juncture with said handle and shell, and of greater crosssection throughout the remainder of its length, and the distance between said arms at their juncture with said shell being relatively less than the lengthof either arm between the juncture with said handle and said shell, so as to resist compressive stress in the direction of their lengths when the cylinder is being forced downwardly into the earth, and yield laterally for contraction and expansion of said shell when the shell is struck laterally.

3. In a digger, the combination with a handle, and a cylindrical shell split longitudinally, of a coupling connecting said handle and shell comprising two arms of band metaltdiverging from saidhandle at an acute angle one with the other, and connected to said shell. at diametrically opposite points, in a plane substantially at a right angle to said split thereof, each of said arms of reduced width throughout the greater portion of its length between its junctures with said handle and shell, and of greater cross'section throughout the remainder of its length, to permit yielding of said arms at saidreduced portions for maximum contracting and expanding of said shell when struck laterally.

4. In a digger, the combination with a handle, and a cylindrical shell having an end portion connected to said handle, said shell being split longitudinally and flared outwardly at its lower circumferential end portion, of a coupling connecting said handle and shell, comprising two arms diverging from said handle at an acute angle one withthe other and connected to said shell at diametrically oppositepoints, each of said arms ofreduced uniform cross section throughout the greater portion of its length, between handle and shelland of greater cross-section throughout the remainder of PHILIP VMAR CU S PADGE TTE;

its junctures; with said its length, sulo- V mstantlally as and forthe purpose set forth. 2. In a dlgger, the combination w th a. r 

